I am a plastic surgeon in Little Rock, AR. I used to "suture for a living", I continue "to live to sew". These days most of my sewing is piecing quilts. I love the patterns and interplay of the fabric color. I would like to explore writing about medical/surgical topics as well as sewing/quilting topics. I will do my best to make sure both are represented accurately as I share with both colleagues and the general public.

I wish you all could read this wonderful essay in its entirety: Sleepless by Joshua Alley, MD in the June 22 issue of JAMA (full reference below). It is an essay that speaks of how we treat our enemies

I thought about our enemies tonight, and why and how we physicians care for them. ….

…, but the reason I went nearly sleepless that night is so that I can sleep all the other nights. It's essentially the same reason I take extra care with each patient at home. A common phrase in my operating room is “I do it this way so I can sleep at night.” I can go to bed knowing I cut no corners, I gave each patient the best possible chance at a good outcome. There are still bad outcomes, and I agonize over those, replaying each decision in my head afterward. But I did the best I could by each one. ….

One mark of a civilized people is our response to wounded enemies. …… Yes, caring for our enemies consumes resources: helicopter flight time, ICU days, operating room hours, sleepless nights, expensive medications and equipment. Because we ought to. Because I’ll have to live with my actions. “Do good to those who hate you,” we read in Matthew's gospel. And tonight, I can sleep, because last night I didn’t.

Happy 4th of July! Thanks to all our military (active and retired) and their families.

I just watched 16 yr old me. Disturbing. Ramona ..growing up at the shore and then up here at a lake ...I have had more sunburns than I can remember.

I confess I still tan. I avoided sun between 27 and 42 unless on vacation or a special day. probably saved my skin. I try to not go out to tan until 4 or after ..but then after tan I am out after 1.

It feels so healthy. And vitamin D? I heard sun is best way to get it and prevents cancers like breast and colon cancer. Of course exposure is only supposed to be 20 minutes each day... last I knew. Getting physical next week and he will be checking.

Disclaimer

My purpose in writing my blog is to attempt to provide good solid medical information on topics of my choosing. It is a way to educate myself, my colleagues, and the general public. References will be provided on medical posts, but not on opinion essays or poetry posts. An additional purpose is to share my interest in quilting topics, a way to show my human side.

Any medical information provided by this site is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. It should not be used to treat or diagnose any medical condition. Always seek professional medical consultation by a licensed physician for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions - please, do not ignore your doctor's medical advice based on information written by the author or commenters of this site. Please do not ask me for medical advice, but instead contact a healthcare provider in your area. Anything written about office/hospital situations/events are fictional examples to get a point across. No patient is/will ever be a specific patient (unless given written permission), but a fictional one. To know more about how I handle medical information about patients please link here. Unless, I am praising a colleague, even those will be fictional. Any similarities to you or people you know is purely coincidental. My husband and I, and our dogs are fair game.

In early 2009 I joined the Better Health Network. As part of that Network, I will occasionally be paid for my writing. Those posts will be clearly noted. I will strive to maintain my high ethical standards. If I add any advertising, it will be clearly marked as such.

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